Bianca Ruffolo

University of Wisconsin - Parkside

Bianca Ruffolo, a junior at the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, has established herself as an outstanding student, a dependable student employee, and a committed community volunteer. Bianca has made quite an impact with service and engagement both at the university and in the community. During her time at UW-Parkside, she has participated as a member of the Pre-Health Club, volunteered over 177 hours with campus events and through Habitat for Humanity, worked on the Student Center's Production Services and Campus Concierge staff, and was appointed to the College of Natural and Health Sciences Advisory Board, all while maintaining excellent grades. In the community, Bianca tutors middle and high school students in math and science and has donated her time working with students with special needs. Bianca is passionate about helping others and her community, possesses a visionary approach to leadership, and always leads from the heart. Her future plans include going to medical school and focusing on disease prevention research. I am honored to have Bianca represent UW-Parkside in this prestigious fellowship program.

Deborah Ford Chancellor
University of Wisconsin - Parkside

Personal Statement

I was once told a story about three pots of boiling water. You put a carrot in one pot, an egg in another, and coffee beans in the last. The carrot went in hard but came out soft, the egg's insides went in soft but came out hard, and the coffee beans changed the water itself - and made it better. If the world and its challenges are the boiling water, then I want to be the coffee beans.

For now, I'm doing my best to make my local community a better place by having three campus jobs (that contribute, if only in small ways, to a better Parkside), while planning and running an event for Harry Potter Trivia, as well as doing various volunteer activities in a local hospital and my old high school.

My ultimate goal is to be a physician-scientist for rural, under-served communities in Wisconsin. These communities are a vital part of my home state and they are facing challenges that can be fixed by active investment into finding solutions. I want to practice medicine and study disease, making sure to include populations that have historically been underrepresented and mistreated in healthcare; the poor, minorities, and women.